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How to Build and Train Your Sales Team

Independent hoteliers tap human capital, technology and market know-how to staff up their property-level sales teams. 
By Brendan Manley
June 24, 2015 | 7:29 P.M.

REPORT FROM THE U.S.—To compete with the major hotel chains, successful independent hoteliers are focusing on selling their properties’ unique identities while training sales staff to be hyper-attuned to their respective markets and niches. In many cases, what works is a combination of old-school pavement pounding and digital-era finesse.
 
According to several independent hotel sales and marketing experts, the trick is to use every tool at one’s disposal. That includes engaging third-party affiliations and soft brands, tapping into sales management systems, getting immersed in the local market and promoting the property’s unique characteristics as much as possible.
 
“In today’s marketplace, it is critical to have a defined brand, and even more so for independent hotels and resorts,” said Agnelo Fernandes, senior VP of sales and marketing for the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. “Having a defined brand experience and being able to communicate the experience in a compelling way is the main reason a guest chooses to stay or a meeting planner selects your resort over others. In most cases, that in itself gives the independent property the competitive edge, whether they are part of a chain or brand.”
 

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At the property level, many independent hoteliers also aggressively sell through traditional direct marketing, with specialists dedicated to each pertinent market segment, demand sector and geographical facet. Frequently, a personal approach to selling is still what’s needed to keep business moving along.
 
“We have specialists that are deployed against different segments of business, based on geography, industry and size,” explained Alex Gregory, director of sales and marketing at Sea Island, in Sea Island, Georgia. “Our team has members specifically positioned to cultivate and book large meetings, others to develop smaller executive board meetings and retreats, and still others (focused on) the luxury travel agent and vacationer. Our competitive selling edge is in the personal touch that we provide.”
 
To do that you need ample staff, and experts said that’s more feasible for some independents than it is for franchised hotels, because the independent hotelier isn’t paying high brand-related fees. Smart independent hoteliers are diverting that savings into maintaining a deep sales team, hoping the greater manpower will result in a directly proportionate revenue swell.
 
Bob Pope, VP of sales and marketing for New Castle Hotels and Resorts, said independent hotels need larger sales teams than their branded counterparts. 
 
“We organize and deploy against niche markets and constantly analyze them to see what is producing. Because the indie hotel is unique to itself, getting to know where the business is coming from is really key. You forecast and adjust constantly. You must be nimble; you drill down and dig, but if you don't hit oil, you drill elsewhere,” Pope said.
 
Terranea’s Fernandes said that since the resort opened six years ago, management has consistently added to its group and transient sales teams, as well as catering. Sea Island also has added a few new team members in recent years, Gregory said. And while New Castle’s sales force has been fairly steady as of late, Pope said new sales opportunities can always prompt the hiring of a new executive to target that business.
 
“We use the (return-on-investment) model that the cost of having a seller should be a percentage of their annual sales,” Pope explained. “If we were not making our goals, we’d look to add someone to the team who might be assigned to pursue a new niche that has developed in the market, or capitalize on changes in the product that might make the hotel attractive to new people. For example, the tour business books several years in advance. In the beginning, a seller plants a lot of seeds to attract that business, which will not materialize for some time.”
 
Training tips
Training those staffers also comes down to a mixture of new and traditional methods. To keep team members current, many indie hotels rely on annual conferences, periodic sales meetings, allegiances with professional associations (such as the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International), and online blogs and webinars, as well as the hiring of third-party sales training providers.
 
“We are fortunate to have the company’s annual conference, where several sessions are geared toward education and training,” Fernandes said. “We also participate in periodic webinars, both company and industry-related, where a lot of sharing takes place. At the property level, a lot of updates and training takes place through energizers that help the team stay on top of things, both at the property and within the business world. I also find that subscribing to various blogs and chat forums is a great way to stay updated on upcoming trends.”
 
Pope added that while many independent hotels don’t use the kind of complex sales-automation and lead-generation programs offered by the larger brands, the upside is their associates don’t require complex training on those systems. In some cases, keeping things simple and being free to knock on doors can actually be the key to generating higher sales.
 
“Brands spend so much time training on sophisticated systems that there’s so little time to actually sell,” Pope said. “With our independents, we can focus more on sales techniques in our training and actually getting out into the market. We use an independent sales training company that focuses on sales basics and provides ways of tracking competencies and skill sets. Our own, proprietary sales software helps us measure progress and keep track of the business. The software may not be as robust or sophisticated as the brand systems, but it doesn’t force sellers to be chained to their desks, either.”

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